Two Bills Drive

‘WHO is Ryan Denney? Allegedly he’s a defensive end who wears No. 92 for the Bills. When you see him, call Gregg Williams. As a second-round draft choice and someone the Bills traded up to get, Denney is a bust.’

‘The Bills are giving it their all, but two things are holding them back and have been key reasons for their four-game slide: First and foremost, they aren’t as good as many prognosticators thought they were, but second, they have endured some debilitating injuries to key personnel.’

‘For the fourth game in a row, all losses, and for the fifth time this season QB Drew Bledsoe failed to reach 200 yards passing.’

‘”It hurts about as bad as any loss I’ve had in football. Guys were fighting their butts off and doing everything they can to try and get this thing turned around. We laid it on the line today and yeah, it hurts.” — Center Trey Teague on the bitter disappointment of blowing a 14-3 lead and losing to the Colts.’

‘Gregg Williams says rookie WR Sam Aiken had his knee scoped on Monday. He suffered a cartilage tear during practice last Friday. Linebacker Jeff Posey has a sprained knee and will undergo a MRI. Guard Mike Pucillo has a turf toe sprain. Williams says all three will be updated on Wednesday.’

‘The issue here has been written about and talked about at length in these parts, and that is the failure of Kevin Gilbride’s offensive philosophy to adapt to the talent he has at hand, not to mention the seeming unwillingness of Gregg Williams to either suggest or insist on a different approach. Don’t think Bills players don’t notice this. They do. Many of them are very unhappy about it privately, but they also realize at this point there is nothing to be gained by going public about it. Many of them are unhappy with Gilbride’s play calling, but are also disappointed in Williams for allowing the overwhelming reliance on the pass to continue.’

”’Nothing’s left,” Winfield said. ”We’ve got five games left. Go out there, do what you do. Go home at the end of the season.”’

‘Bills rookie receiver Sam Aiken has torn cartilage in his right knee and his status is uncertain for the rest of the season.’

‘It’s also why coach Gregg Williams and team president/general manager Tom Donahoe looked as if someone had lifted their wallets after the game. Their football team played pretty well.’

‘”That’s the type of team we have,” said Colts’ coach Tony Dungy. “We don’t get too overly excited about things, and we hang in there for 60 minutes. We did a good job of hanging in there.”‘

‘”Jeff Posey had a knee sprain from the ballgame and I’m supposed to have an update on him later today and I’ll have another update on that Wednesday. Right now it’s a knee sprain.”‘

‘”We made the plays when we needed to make them. That’s probably one of the pluses of our team. We’ve got a real veteran group – in the skill positions anyway. They just feel real good that when they have the ball coming down the stretch they’re going to make things happen.”‘

‘The Colts’ 17-14 win, like the rest of Buffalo’s lost season, boils down to one of those sporting truisms that sound overly simplistic but are, well, true. Good teams find a way to win. And bad ones find a way to help them. At 9-2, the Colts are indisputably good. And in case anybody still had any lingering optimism about the Bills before Sunday, they aren’t.’

‘Even so, Sunday’s loss to the Colts wasn’t a showcase of Williams and his staff’s ineptitude, as the first six losses were. This one seemingly did come down to the players. Yet, it’s becoming more and more clear that on the field, the team as a whole is starting to resemble their robot-like coach. As Williams’ vapid tones indicate, the Bills have no personality. That positive attitude that can be sensed from every crevice of the stadium, clear through your television screen just isn’t there. It’s a trait that all great teams have, and it stems from every level, from the coaches to the players. Have we ever seen Williams get mad, or even say something semi-unexpected? They are all drones and have played like it too.’

The Bills led 14-3 in the fourth quarter after touchdowns by Drew Bledsoe and Sammy Morris. Bledsoe’s 2nd quarter score was the Bills first touchdown since October 19 in a victory over Washington. Morris scored on a punishing run from 7 yards out. Though improved, the Bills offense was unable to put enough points on the board for the victory.